(CNN) - The leading outside group supporting Democrats in this year's battle for control of the Senate says it's putting big bucks behind a new ad that attacks the GOP challenger in North Carolina, home to one of the most crucial races.

CNN has learned that the Senate Majority PAC will launch a new television commercial Thursday that slams North Carolina House Speaker Thom Tillis over state education cuts. He's the Republican Senate nominee who's challenging first term Democratic Sen. Kay Hagan. If the GOP can flip the seat in North Carolina and five others, without losing any ground, they will win control of the Senate in November's midterm elections.

"When it comes to education, Thom Tillis is gambling with our future. As Speaker, he cut nearly $500 million from education, eliminating 9,000 teaching positions, and overcrowding classrooms. Now he promises more lottery money for education. We've heard that broken promise before. Meanwhile Tillis gives tax breaks for yacht and private jet owners," says the narrator in the spot. "Thom Tillis, for wealthy backers, tax breaks. For North Carolina families, a bad gamble."

Senate Majority PAC tells CNN that it will spend $800,000 to run the ad statewide over the next ten days.

The group, along with Patriot Majority, an allied organization, have spent over $10 million in the North Carolina Senate race so far this cycle. Pro-Republican outside groups, led by Americans for Prosperity, have also been spending millions to bombard the state with ads. AFP alone has shelled out more than $8 million to run spots.

Education is one of the leading issues in the North Carolina Senate contest. The Tillis campaign's criticized Hagan for education cuts she voted for as a state senator last decade.

In responding to the new Senate Majority PAC commercial, the Tillis campaign tied Hagan to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

"Harry Reid and liberal special interest groups clearly have their fingers firmly planted on the panic button. Since Kay Hagan can’t run on her record of supporting Obama 95 percent of the time, her liberal allies are running yet another shamefully false attack ad that contains outright lies already debunked by national fact-checkers. Thom Tillis has a proven record of balancing budgets, giving teachers historic pay raises, and creating opportunities for North Carolina middle-class families," said the Tillis campaign, in a statement.

The most recent polls in the race indicate Hagan and Tillis are all tied up. Tills received some high profile support earlier this week, as 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney headlined a fundraiser for the candidate in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Democrats have a 55-45 majority in the Senate (53 Democrats and two independents who caucus with the party). But in the midterms, the party is defending 21 of the 36 seats up for grabs, with half of those Democratic-held seats in red or purple states like North Carolina.

soundoff(71 Responses)

Problem there rs is that these went the way of the dinosaur. There is no such thing as a conservative Democrat anymore. For you to even use those two words together is totally dishonest.

JFK would be run out of the Democrat Party as a rich 1%er. Democrats ran Joe Liebermann out of the party because he was a conservative Democrat. Democrat party booing God at their convention? Statements about "you didn't make that", "let's spread the wealth around", "pay your fair share" (after paying almost all the taxes already!), simply show the Democrat Party is an extreme leftwing party. They just won't admit it and come out of the closet.

August 21, 2014 12:31 pm at 12:31 pm |

Fundamentally Transforming America Through Progressive Destruction of Capitalism and Replacing It with Socialism-Communism

Tampa Tim
Fundamental – You are incorrect.
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Then you should have absolutely no problem is showing how I am wrong and why. Proceed. You already declined in your first response.

Problem there rs is that these went the way of the dinosaur. There is no such thing as a conservative Democrat anymore. For you to even use those two words together is totally dishonest.

JFK would be run out of the Democrat Party as a rich 1%er. Democrats ran Joe Liebermann out of the party because he was a conservative Democrat. Democrat party booing God at their convention? Statements about "you didn't make that", "let's spread the wealth around", "pay your fair share" (after paying almost all the taxes already!), simply show the Democrat Party is an extreme leftwing party. They just won't admit it and come out of the closet.
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Really, Tommy? There are NO rich Democrats? Here's a blast from the past for you:
1. Under President Eisenhower- the top tax bracket was 89 and 90% (as it moved).
2. Nixon worked with the Communist Chinese
3. Reagan granted amnesty to 11 million illegal aliens in the U.S.

Now really, which party has strayed farthest from its real roots? As someone who was an ardent supporter of President Ford, I feel like I can say with some authority that the GOP has lost its freaking mind, and the Democrats have replace Mr. Ford (and Republicans like him) quite well. You may not like to hear it with all of your faux radical sentiment and statements, but our current President is a moderate- it's you guys that fell off the track.

August 21, 2014 12:47 pm at 12:47 pm |

rs

Democrat party booing God at their convention?
_______________________
What utter, utter nonsense! What does Christianity say about the poor? And what has the GOP done? Taken pity on the rich at the expense of the poor!
The GOP isn't Christian by any definition.

Come out of the closet, that's rich. How exactly is the gop going to help working u.s. again, wait a minute, let me guess........ tax breaks for the rich, lord knows they have all the money, now you pay the taxes on it, genius! So do I, sad truth is, the gop talk of helping small business is total BS, only big business gets their help, so if you are a small business owner, your barking up the wrong tree . You obviously think your better off with their economic plan, the experts I've heard talk on subject, adamantly disagree with the policies the gop are wanting, when there is no money in the working and working poor, your business suffers too, what good does taking away their disposable income do to help your business?

August 21, 2014 12:51 pm at 12:51 pm |

Tommy G

Rudy NYC
"The old saying was "As GM goes, so goes the country." It didn't really mean just GM, but our vast and growing base of American companies. The growing power of the leftist Democrat Party wants to now replace our large company based economy with government owned segments. "
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"Let Detroit go bankrupt," wrote Mitt Romney. Republicans were perfectly happy to let GM and the entire U.S. auto industry go bankrupt. I guess you conservative types don't remember what your side actually says. Hypocrites, all of you.
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And they ultimately DID go bankrupt and that is what needed to happen as we have a system to handle such situations. It works and has worked in the past. So Romney was once again proven correct in his assessment, just as he was with regards to Russia.

Detroit was a Democrat run corrupt cesspool for decades and now that will all come to an end as the city tries to resurrect itself and recover. The same future awaits all of America if Democrats hold power and have their way. And with nearly $18 TRILLLION in debt (and climbing) we are quickly approaching a day of reckoning with regards to our finances in this country.

August 21, 2014 12:51 pm at 12:51 pm |

Sniffit

"Didn't the Kochs make a record $38 billion last year, and celebrate their windfall by firing 3500 workers?"

I'm sorry, but that language is not allowed. Calling them "workers" implies that they are contributing to the record profits and we all know they have nothing to do with it because they didn't build that. The proper terminology for those people is "serf."

August 21, 2014 12:56 pm at 12:56 pm |

old age voter

No amount of money from outside groups supporting Democrats in this year's midterms is going to help given the Democratic depression the country is in right now.
The Democratic party candidates can run on this:
unemployment at 14% plus;
the middle class new worth is now 28% less than before 2008
50 million plus people on food stamps;
more college graduates living with their parent because they can’t find jobs;
this administrations domestic policies cost us trillions of dollars in debt;
an invasion at our southern border.

August 21, 2014 01:03 pm at 1:03 pm |

Tony D

rs
but our current President is a moderate
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I agree. A moderate Socialist. Others in the Democrat Party lean more to the Communist ideology. Maybe you could name all of the mythical 'conservative Democrats' for us? Common on, please be honest with the American people.for once. Just admit Progressive is another word for Socialist. If all the gay people can come out of the closet, why can't the Progressives do the same?!

August 21, 2014 01:09 pm at 1:09 pm |

FidyCents

Stick a fork in Hagan and the Demorats. They've been lying for the last 6 years on everything from healthcare to the economy.

Let me get this right, its not bush's fault our economy collapsed, but it is Obama's responsibility that its not fixed to your liking? And common sense will tell you, we need policy change to fix things, which I'd exactly what the gop has been fighting for over 5 years now, just like they vowed to do, no matter the cost, these things are indisputable, what's taking you so long to admit that. And while your at it, explain the gop economic plan, and what type of policy do they call that? Its trickle down, again literally the only plan they have, you've been conned into believing you'll be better off for it, again. Nevermind that the experts completely disagree, just listen to the gop,, they know better than some genius who's spent decades in that specific field, just drink up, you'll be fine!

August 21, 2014 01:21 pm at 1:21 pm |

rs

Tony D

rs
but our current President is a moderate
-

I agree. A moderate Socialist. Others in the Democrat Party lean more to the Communist ideology. Maybe you could name all of the mythical 'conservative Democrats' for us? Common on, please be honest with the American people.for once. Just admit Progressive is another word for Socialist. If all the gay people can come out of the closet, why can't the Progressives do the same?!
_________________________
Sorry, perhaps from the clown car spinning ever faster and harder Right, it might appear the President is a Socialist (Really? play that one back on yourself as it really is patently ridiculous-it is just another GOP lie). But reality is far from that little notion. If he were a "socialist" for example we wouldn't be paying privately held corporations for healthcare- as a matter of fact we wouldn't be paying for it at all, get it?
No, no, the President is a capitalist- and that is why corporate profits are at record levels.

August 21, 2014 01:22 pm at 1:22 pm |

Tampa Tim

RWNJs have no idea what a socialist is, let alone communist. They need to admit that they are running on a Confederate anti United States platform of divisiveness from the 1860s.

And when your life goes swirling down the crapper, despite all gop policies just listen when they tell you its all Obama's fault. Suckers!

August 21, 2014 01:24 pm at 1:24 pm |

Tampa Tim

Texas was a corrupt cesspool with mountains of debt, and Rick Perry took stimulus money to pay for his state's debt from the stimulus. He misused those funds.

August 21, 2014 01:25 pm at 1:25 pm |

Longtimer

Fixing the economy, bhah! All the Republicans have as a tool is to continue cutting taxes for the rich. Mind you that's done nothing since Reagan embarked on the "starve the beast" foolishness- but that the middle class has all but vanished, we have the most millionaires and billionaires the world has ever seen and our budget has a giant hole in it- just like economists predicted- but sure, lets cut taxes again. What could go wrong?

Old age fool, and let me guess, its Obama's fault that the depression that started in 07 decimated our savings, my God man, look at the calendar. Oh and Tommy, I don't suppose you'll agree with the experts who are saying our deficit is going down, first time in a decade or more, again, cal len dar.

August 21, 2014 01:30 pm at 1:30 pm |

Rudy NYC

Tommy G

Rudy NYC
"The old saying was "As GM goes, so goes the country." It didn't really mean just GM, but our vast and growing base of American companies. The growing power of the leftist Democrat Party wants to now replace our large company based economy with government owned segments. "
---
"Let Detroit go bankrupt," wrote Mitt Romney. Republicans were perfectly happy to let GM and the entire U.S. auto industry go bankrupt. I guess you conservative types don't remember what your side actually says. Hypocrites, all of you.
-

And they ultimately DID go bankrupt and that is what needed to happen as we have a system to handle such situations. It works and has worked in the past. So Romney was once again proven correct in his assessment, just as he was with regards to Russia.

Detroit was a Democrat run corrupt cesspool.......
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We're talking about auto manufacturers and bankruptcies. There are different types of bankruptcies. I believe the type that GM went through is commonly referred to as structured bankruptcy. Mitt Romney didn't want that. He wanted the fire sale, everything must go, variety of bankruptcy. In his editorial piece he promoted the idea that private investors could purchase the pieces of the companies at bargain prices. Yeah, by your definition, Romney wanted to destroy America.

August 21, 2014 01:32 pm at 1:32 pm |

Silence DoGood

Tony D
rs
but our current President is a moderate
-

I agree. A moderate Socialist. Others in the Democrat Party lean more to the Communist ideology. Maybe you could name all of the mythical 'conservative Democrats' for us? Common on, please be honest with the American people.for once. Just admit Progressive is another word for Socialist. If all the gay people can come out of the closet, why can't the Progressives do the same?!
------–
Meanwhile, back on Earth things are not black or white. Most modern countries polling as "happiest" include some socialized services. And they have been shown to work just fine thank you. Not the cartoon "Socialist" (cue scary music) from the spooky stories of the 1950's but some socialized services. That is Progress, and I am proud to vote Progressive.

August 21, 2014 01:36 pm at 1:36 pm |

BC

And yes!!! Obama is a socialist. and yes! He has failed as president. And yes...the country is worse off because of liberals..and yes!! We conservatives will be taking back the White House in 2016. I can't wait to take down those ugly gold curtains. Lol